The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-01-12
KNIGHTS IN REVOLT.
Assemblies From Ten States to
Demand a Special Session.
Grand Master Workman Powderly's
Views on Socialism.

There is little doubt, says q New York
paper, that General Master Workman Pow
derly will be called on in a short time tc
issue call for special session of the Gen.
eral Assembly of the Knights, and that the
call will be signed by district assemblies from
at least ten States The States mentioned
by those who are interested in the movement
are Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri,
Texas, Colorado, New York, New Jersey,
Connecticut and Pennsylvania. In all OF
these States there are districts which are in
almost open revolt against the General E1ecu.
tive Board. The grounds on which the special
session will be asked for are that the election
as a matter Of fact General Master Workman
Powderly and Messrs. Bailey, Hayes and
their offices by virtue of the fact that their
Barry, of the General Executive Board. hold
successors have not been legally elected that
Messrs. Mcguire, Carlton and Aylesworth,
the new members Of the Executive Board,
have no right to hold their offices or draw
right to his office or his pay: that the increase
of salaries was illegal, and therefore void, and
that all acts Of the General Executive Board
as at present constituted are illegal. While
this will be the nominal reason for the call,
1t is understood that there are others which
threaten the very existence of the order.
If the special session is called, says another
Metropolitan paper, it will be for late in Feb
ruary or early in March. Mr.. Powderly's
S, salary, bis order ending the Chicago
stock yards strike. his circular stopping the
contributions to the Anarchist Defence Fund
and the call for 25-cent assessment are
grounds of complaint against him.
The trouble between District Assembly
No. ~ and the New York foci lists, which
has resulted in the Withdraw al nearly all
the local assemblies Of thai district from
the Central Labor Union, has /, TO the pro-
duction Of letter written some time ago by
General Master Workman Powderly to
prominent knight Of Labor in New York,
in which he gives his opinion Of the Social
lists in plain language. This will not tend to
decrease the bitter feeling which now ex-
lists between the bodies. Portions Of the letter
are as follows:
"You have men in New York who would
move heaven and earth to restore the old
customs and make the order again an oath
bound organization. I know them. You
have men in New York whoha cooper
ated with men in Philadelphia to break up
the Order by going to Catholic priest of
eminence and telling him that our old oath
is still in force; that the word Of honor Is only
blind to make catspaws Of the Catholic MEN,
bers, and that the General Master Workman is
The curse of the Knights Of Labor has come
from the promptnesS with which acknow-
lodged leaders Of the Socialisticelementh have
put themselves forward at meetings, and
while speaking plainly limited at the musket
and Gatling gun as the remedy for labor's
grievances Many Of the men who advocate
these principles (of Socialism, do not under
stand them. They set forth the idea
and convey the impre sion that the only
weapons by which Labor can hope to secure
the desired reforms are the knife and blud-
geon. Men may entertain such ideas us they
rlease; they may advocate them IL they
please; but they should not seek, under the
CLOAK Of the Knights Of Labor, to promul-
gate such doctrines and make the Order re-
sponsib.e for them.
II claim the right to differ as to the means
best calculated to bring about reforms and
am willing to respect the opinions Of others,
but until the Knights of Labor adopt the
shotgun as their chief weapon, I will vigor-
ously object to allowing advocates to slip 20
the front at meetings gotten up in the inter-
est Of labor. They must not be permitted
to advocate blood and fire and yet proclaim
themselves to be the mouthpieces Of the
labor eau o.
THE conduct and language Of these men
have caused the clergymen to regard us with
an eye of suspicion, and it will require stren-
uous efforts on our part to remove the erro-
neous impression concerning u.s. 1t Is my
firm aud honest belief that, as vast as is this
country. as broad and extensive as is its
territory, there is not room enough within
its borders for the exercise Of O single rifle.
I have no respect for the man or men
who will faunt that accursed red flag
and advocate the use Of the dirk and bullet
for three hundred and sixty-four days in the
year, and who, on the three hundred and
sixty-lfth day, deliberately walk up to the
polls aud vote for tho continuance OF the sys-
tenn which they denounce. am sorry
that the Order ever found foothold in
New York, for no good has ever como from
large cities, which are prolific Of whisky
ard crime There are many good knights in
your city, New York. If I require any de-
termined action give me the men who read
and think, instead of the man who drinks.
There are more Of tho latter in large city
than the former. However, the Knights Of
Labor will live on; their principles will
spread and eventually triumph. Bah
on the creatures who stand up as
champions Of labor IN the presence
Of thousands of unthinking men and advo-
cate the knife and bullet! Bah on the men
who flaunt the red f1agl They are too vile
to resi- ect and too cowardly to uphold the
American flag, sanctihed by the blood or
ratriots. They disgrace it every time they
20 to the polls and vote for monopoly and
usury. They are not to be trusted"
LATER NEWS